TBILISI, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- Georgia is recalling its
embassy staff in Russia and cutting off diplomatic ties with Moscow in response
to its recognition of two breakaway Georgian regions, Deputy Foreign Minister
Grigol Vashadze said Friday.
Vashadze said the government is implementing a
parliament resolution passed a day earlier, which included a call for the
government to sever ties with Russia, the Caucasus Press news agency reported.
A Georgian Foreign Ministry spokesman said his
country will withdraw its staff from Moscow on Saturday, but a consul will
remain in Russia.
Russian news agencies have cited Russian Foreign
Ministry spokesman Andrei Nestrenko as criticizing the move and saying it will
not benefit bilateral relations.
"We regret that the Georgian side has taken this
step," Nesterenko said.
"The possible end of diplomatic relations with
Georgia is not the choice of Moscow, and Tbilisi will have to bear the entire
responsibility," said the diplomat.
"We must maintain contacts in the sphere of interests
of average citizens," he said, adding that it will take a lot of efforts to
restore bilateral relations.
Georgia's announcement comes on the heels of its
decision to withdraw all but two diplomats from its embassy in Moscow after
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev decided to recognize South Ossetia and
Abkhazia as independent states earlier this week.
The two regions broke from central Georgian rule
during wars in the early 1990s.
Georgia, a former Soviet republic and a staunch U.S.
ally, has long been at odds with Russia over the two breakaway regions and its
own bids to join NATO and the European Union.
Earlier this month, Georgia sent in troops to reclaim
South Ossetia, triggering a military counter-offensive from Russia. The conflict
ended with a ceasefire agreement between Tbilisi and Moscow brokered by
France.
MOSCOW, Aug. 29
(Xinhua) -- Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said the proposed Western
sanctions against Moscow would not leave the country isolated.
"I believe that a country - Russia in this case -
that can enable its citizens to maintain their honor and dignity, protect their
lives and fulfill its international legal commitments ... will not be isolated,"
Putin said in an interview with German television company ARD. Full Story
